Hopes fade for fire chief swept by creek
CACHE CREEK — Hope is fading in the search for a missing fire chief feared to have been swept away in swollen creek has resumed, the community’s mayor said.
Clayton Cassidy of Cache Creek disappeared early Friday, RCMP said. He was last known to be checking creek flow levels at a campground east of the village as snowmelt and rain was causing floods in the region.
Mayor John Ranta said there was still no sign of Cassidy “but we remain cautiously optimistic that he will be found alive, although hope is fading for that.”
Search and rescue crews from Kamloops, Vernon, Pemberton and Ashcroft have been involved in the effort to locate the 59-yearold fire chief.
Waters were still moving fast Saturday and where water has receded, branches, mud and debris have been left behind.
Heavy machines have been brought in to remove piles of broken wood from the front of the fire hall. “It’s just a tragedy of epic proportions to have somebody like Clayton Cassidy missing,” Ranta said Saturday.
Cassidy was given a Medal of Good Citizenship by the B.C. government last year for his efforts helping Cache Creek residents during a major flood in May 2015.
VANCOUVER — Homes have been damaged and more evacuation orders are in place as flooding and mudslides wreak havoc across southern British Columbia.
A 76-year-old man in a community north of Salmon Arm is unaccounted for after a mudslide enveloped his home on Saturday, RCMP said.
Several other homes were damaged and a road leading to about 100 residences was cut off by the slide in the community of Tappen.
Central Okanagan Emergency Operations officials said new evacuation orders were issued within Kelowna on Saturday, as flooding threatened 90 multi-family units, four single homes and one commercial property.
Higher temperatures speeding up the spring snowmelt and recent showers have resulted in rising water levels for many rivers and creeks.
Simon Fraser University earth sciences professor Brent Ward said it appears to be the worst flooding the province has seen since the late 1990s and if conditions and rain stick around, it will delay relief for residents in flood zones.
“It depends on how rapidly the snowpack will melt, which is a function of the temperature of the next little while as well as the rain,” he said.
The City of West Kelowna declared a local state of emergency Saturday to address the flooding, and residents whose safety was at risk have been moved.
Ninety properties in the Fintry Delta area north of Kelowna also remain under an evacuation order due to flooding, while neighbouring residents are warned to be prepared to leave their homes on short notice if conditions worsen.
The River Forecast Centre has maintained a streamflow advisory for the south and central Interior, Boundary region and southeastern parts of the province as creek and river levels remain high.
The flooding and run-off has resulted in boil water advisories for the Westbank First Nation in Okanagan and the town of Kimberley.
Drive B.C., which reports on provincial highway conditions, said sections of the Trans-Canada Highway near Salmon Arm and Glacier National Park were closed due to mudslides.
Highway 97A near Sicamous in the Interior was also closed after a mudslide, while an avalanche closed Highway 99 at Duffey Lake east of Pemberton. Highway 8 west of Merritt was closed by a washout.
A statement from the provincial government on Friday warned people to stay away from river-banks and lake shorelines, not to drive through flood water and protect property in low-lying areas by clearing drains, sand bagging perimeters and removing valuables.
Ward said emergency officials have done a good job at addressing the crisis, but once the flooding clears, it might be time for communities to rethink their land use.
“The places that are flooding are on floodplains. I think people and municipalities have to start looking at how frequently do some of these areas flood and is it worth it for some of these people to be exposed to that kind of risk,” he said.